


No Man Is a Failure Who Has Friends

by alanna_the_lionheart



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Caring, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Love, New Year's Eve, New Year's Resolutions, One Shot, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and felicity/billy, arrow season 5, because this is all about, brief mentions of oliver/susan, olicity - Freeform, very brief - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-13 20:39:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9141388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alanna_the_lionheart/pseuds/alanna_the_lionheart
Summary: Oliver changes his plans to spend New Year’s Eve by himself when he realizes that Felicity could really use a friend. A quiet evening - filled with a bit of comfort, a good dose of food, and an even greater dose of friendship - helps both of them more than they ever thought possible. Contains very brief Oliver/Susan at the beginning (like two sentences tops) and a mention of Felicity/Billy. A hopeful little Olicity story that I hope might brighten up your holidays.





	

**Author's Note:**

> On the whole, I’m enjoying season 5. However, while I see still see hints of romantic Olicity, I do think that the friendship aspect between Oliver and Felicity has been a bit lacking so far, and this is my attempt to fix that. It’s my headcanon that Felicity asked to be alone following Billy’s death, which is why no one, including Oliver, was shown to be with her. It’s also my headcanon that, while that may be what she wants initially, Oliver will eventually come to realize that what she really needs is a friend - much like HE has in the past - and that Oliver will be there for her. This is my take on that idea.
> 
> Also, I wanted to get this up before New Years (at least New Years for me in NY) so there may be a few small editing errors.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it, and a Happy New Year to you and yours! Hoping 2017 is a bit nicer to all of us.

**No Man Is a Failure Who Has Friends**

 

When Oliver tells Susan that he’d prefer to spend New Year’s Eve by himself, she takes the news well. He knows she’s the type of person who likes to party, and the fact that he’s not (at least not anymore) has never really bothered her.

 

“My girlfriends are going to check out the new club downtown, so I’ll spend the night with them. You go ahead and enjoy your alone time” she tells him with a smile.

 

Oliver smiles back gratefully, then kisses her softly on the cheek before leaving their table at Jitters and heading off to the mayor’s office.

 

Truth be told, ever since he came home from the island, Oliver’s preferred quiet New Year’s Eves to the loud, raucous ones he enjoyed in his younger days.

 

His first New Years was spent in the hospital, recovering from the injuries he’d received at the hands of the Dark Archer. Diggle had stopped by just before midnight with a flask full of Russian vodka, and the two men had toasted the new year in companionable silence.

 

His second was spent alone in the Queen mansion, where he had watched _Die Hard_ , stuffed himself with chinese food, and fallen asleep on the couch.

 

He spent the third unconscious, healing from the wounds inflicted on him by his mountaintop duel with Ra’s.

 

And last year? Last year he’d spent his New Year’s Eve with Felicity, lying quietly next to her in her hospital bed while they watched _It’s A Wonderful Life_ , ate cookies, and fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

 

This year, Oliver wants to spend the evening much as he did his second year back: alone on his couch, watching movies and eating junk food until he inevitably falls asleep.

 

And when he wakes on Saturday morning, that’s exactly what he plans to do.

 

He spends the day binge watching TV and eating leftovers he finds in the freezer.  Around seven - after finishing the first (and sadly only) season of one of Netflix’s original shows - Oliver stands up from the couch, stretches out his stiff muscle, and proceeds to the kitchen, where he opens the fridge and tries to decide what he should have for dinner.

 

Eventually, he realizes that he doesn’t really feel like making anything for himself; what he really wants is to order some Big Belly Burger. He grabs the menu from the refrigerator door, and in doing so he knocks loose a photo, which falls from the fridge and flutters softly to the floor. Oliver bends down and picks it up...and he smiles. It’s a picture of him and Felicity sharing a tray of fries at Big Belly Burger, taken nearly five years ago by Diggle. In the photo, they’re both laughing, holding onto opposite ends of a giant french fry that they’d both lunged for at the same time.

 

Oliver laughs, remembering how he’d relented in the end and let her have it. She’d smiled at him and said “you’re a real gentleman, Mr. Queen” before shoving the entire fry into her mouth in one go.

 

If only he’d known then just how much he cared for her. Maybe things would be different….

 

Oliver sighs, staring long and hard at the photo as he sits down at the kitchen table, getting lost in his thoughts. Unbidden, his mind flashes back to the night before, when he and the rest of the team (minus Diggle, who was still waiting for his trial to begin) had just finished their last patrol of the year.

 

* * *

 

 

Rene, Rory, and Curtis had invited him to go out for drinks with them, but Oliver had politely declined.

 

“I appreciate the offer, guys, but I think I need a quiet night in this year.”

 

His protégés looked at him with a mixture of understanding and pity.

 

“Do you think Thea would want to come?” Rene asked him hopefully, and Oliver narrowed his eyes just the slightest in disapproval. To his credit, Rene didn’t flinch.

 

“She has plans,” Oliver told him. “She’s going to see an old friend.”

 

The old friend was Roy, but of course Oliver wasn’t going to say as much.

 

“Uh huh....and does this old friend happen to be-”

 

“A guy, yes,” Oliver answered before Rene could finish the question, and Oliver couldn’t help but chuckle at the look of disappointment on Rene’s face.

 

“Okay, then,” Rene responded with a slight shrug. “Well, what about you, Blondie?”

 

Felicity, who was at her computers packing up her bag to head home, stiffened, and when she raised her head, Oliver winced. He knew that look in her eyes all too well; had seen it directed at him on more than one occasion.

 

“For the last time, my name is NOT ‘Blondie.’ It’s Felicity. Call me ‘Blondie’ one more time and I promise you’ll regret it.”

 

Rene took a step back from her, and Oliver saw the look of fear in his eyes. Then Rene shook his head and laughed, but he still sounded nervous despite himself, and Oliver bit his lower lip to keep from chuckling.

 

“Is that a ‘no’ then?”

 

Felicity sighed, shoulders sagging as the anger left her as quickly as it had come on.

 

“It’s a ‘no.’ I have my own plans, actually.”

 

“Anything fun?” Rory inquired gently.

 

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Just the usual. An old movie marathon, a bottle of wine, and going to bed early. Nothing too crazy. That’s...that’s just how I like it.”

 

* * *

 

 

Oliver hadn’t thought anything of her answer last night. Felicity was a lot like him in this respect: she enjoyed quiet New Years plans just as much as he did.

 

And yet….

 

Sitting at his table, staring at the photo in his hand, Oliver recalls the look on her face before they’d all left for the evening. It was one he knew intimately; one he was used to seeing in the mirror when he knew he was shutting people out.

 

He grips the photo tighter in his hand, thinking back on numerous occasions when he’d worn a look just like hers. Times when he’d said he wanted to be alone...and times when she’d inevitably shown up anyway.

 

Times when he’d found that, invariably, he felt better when she was around.

 

Somehow, she always knew when he needed a friend.

 

Oliver doesn’t think twice before getting up from the table.

 

He takes a quick shower and gets dressed, grabs a bottle of wine from his collection, and heads out of the apartment.

 

Perhaps Felicity could use a friend tonight, too.

 

* * *

 

Oliver pushes the doorbell, heart pounding in his chest. In one hand, he clutches a bag full of food from Big Belly Burger, including her favorite burger and two extra large helpings of fries. In the other, he holds a bottle of red wine (one of her favorite vintages) and a small grocery bag.

 

Oliver shuffles from one foot to the other nervously, then pushes the button again. Maybe she’d changed her mind and decided to go out after all?

 

He’s just about to try again when the door opens.

 

“Oliver?”

 

She’s dressed comfortably, all ready for an evening in: sweats, a tank top, and a shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

 

She’s just as beautiful as she’s always been, and he regrets not telling her that more often when they were together.

 

Then he notices that her eyes are red and puffy, like she’s been crying, and some of the nervousness he’d been feeling fades away. Maybe he _has_ made the right decision

 

“Felicity…I know you said you wanted to spend New Year’s by yourself, so if you want me to leave, I’ll understand. I just…well, I got hungry and….”

  
He holds up the bag of Big Belly Burger like it’s some kind of peace offering.

 

She stares at the bag long and hard... and then she smiles softly. Her gaze wanders to the items clenched in his other hand.

 

“Is that mint chocolate chip in there?” she asks, pointing at the grocery bag.

 

Oliver grins.

 

“Of course it is.”

 

Her smile widens, lighting up her face and warming his heart.

 

“Come in.”

 

* * *

 

They curl up on the couch and watch _It’s A Wonderful Life_ (Felicity’s traditional New Year’s Eve movie) while eating their burgers and munching on the mountain of fries that Oliver piles onto a plate. When Felicity finds the biggest fry in the bunch and offers it to him, Oliver smiles and shakes his head.

 

Felicity laughs.

 

“You’re a real gentleman, Mr. Queen.”

 

Oliver smiles fondly at the memory of that night so long ago, and his heart flutters slightly at the thought that she remembers it, too. She moves the fry to her mouth, but instead of inhaling it like he thought she would, she breaks it in half at the last second and offers him some.

 

Oliver eats it happily.

 

When the movie’s over, it’s time to break into the ice cream. As Felicity grabs the pint from the freezer, Oliver ponders the ending of the film in a way he never quite has before. After practically living the movie himself just last month, he finds that the words “no man is a failure who has friends” mean more to him now than they ever have before.

 

Sometimes, you really _do_ just need a friend.

 

“Let’s get this party started!” Felicity exclaims as she plops back down on the couch with the ice cream in one hand and two spoons in the other. Oliver just shakes his head and smiles as he grabs one of the spoons and dives in for the first scoop before she can stop him.

  
“Hey!” she protests, slapping at his hand playfully, but she’s not fast enough, and Oliver takes a giant spoonful and shoves it in his mouth. He pulls the spoon out and throws his hands over his head in triumph. Felicity shakes her head and takes a scoop for herself.

 

When the brainfreeze hits him hard, Oliver groans and clutches at his head, and the sound of her laughter makes the pain totally worth it.

 

They share the pint between the two of them the same way they always have - two spoons and no bowls, passing it back and forth between them - and neither of them thinks twice about it. They eat in silence, but it’s not awkward like he feared it might be.

 

It’s just like old times.

 

They get a little more than halfway through the pint before she holds the carton out to him and he shakes his head.

 

“I’m so full,” he moans, lying back against the couch and clutching dramatically at his stomach.

 

“Too full to enjoy one of my mother’s cookies?” Felicity asks slyly, and Oliver’s sitting back up in an instant.

 

“That depends. Are they ginger molasses cookies?” he asks hopefully.

 

“Of course they are,” she responds, smiling warmly at him.

 

“Then I’ll take two.”

 

Felicity laughs, swatting him on the arm. Oliver lets out a quiet “ow” as she goes to get the cookies, and he just barely hears her mutter the words “big baby” under her breath before she chuckles.

 

Oliver turns the TV back on while she’s gone, tuning it to the right channel for the New Year’s Eve celebration in Central City. He declines her offer of a cup of warm milk, wanting to save room for the wine later. He puts the volume on low and watches the program quietly until she returns with the cookies.

 

“Finally,” he teases, and Felicity rolls her eyes as she hands him two cookies. He takes them from her and shoves an entire cookie into his mouth in one go.

 

“I thought you said you were full?” she says incredulously, taking a human sized bite out of one of her own cookies before sipping carefully at her mug of warm milk.

 

“I’m never too full for your mom’s cookies,” Oliver mumbles, except his mouth is full and it comes out more like “Mmmph neff too fuff fuf youff mmphs cookies” and Felicity snorts into her milk, getting some of it on her chin. She giggles, wiping carefully at her milk splattered face, and Oliver laughs so hard that cookie crumbs fly out of his mouth. He covers his mouth to prevent more flying crumbs as she starts laughing harder, her mug of milk shaking precariously in her hand. Oliver grabs it from her and puts it on the table, and she’s laughing hysterically now, hands over her mouth, bent in half as tears of laughter stream down her cheeks. Oliver laughs with her, brushing crumbs off his shirt as he finally swallows his cookie.

 

As he watches her, Oliver realizes that it’s been a long time since he’s seen her laugh like this; months maybe. A wave of guilt washes over him suddenly. She’s been hurting ever since Billy died - maybe even longer if he’s being honest with himself - and when she’d asked everyone for space they’d all given it to her, himself included. And yet….

 

“I’m sorry about Billy.”

 

The words come out of nowhere, and they suck the joy out of the air so quickly Oliver would swear he can hear it.

 

She wipes the tears off her cheeks mechanically, sitting up on the couch and brushing a few errant cookie crumbs off her shirt. She looks up at him sadly, and he wishes he hadn’t said anything.

 

“Oliver... I told you, I don’t blame you for what happened.”

 

“I know, I know that,” Oliver assures her quickly, and he _does_ know that. She’s insisted many times that she doesn’t blame him for what happened to Billy, and while he fully believes that she means it, he can’t help that he feels guilty anyway. Feeling guilty it what he does, after all. “Prometheus is the only one to blame, I know that. Still, I...I’m sorry.”

 

She nods slowly.

 

“I understand. I don’t….” She pauses, shuffling uncomfortably on the couch. When she looks back at him, her eyes shine with tears. “I don’t know if what we had was real, and it...it hurts a little bit less with every passing day, but... _I miss him_.”

 

Oliver nods, because he gets it, he really does. He’d do anything to save her from this pain, but there’s so little he can really do for her. So he does the only thing he knows he _can_ do: he wraps his arms around her and pulls her into a hug.

 

“It’s okay,” he whispers, even though it’s anything _but_ okay, and she buries her head against his shoulder and nods. Her tears fall hot and wet against his neck, and Oliver holds her tighter. “It’s okay,” he tells her again, and Felicity sobs as she wraps her arms around him in kind, gripping him tightly.

 

“I’m here,” he assures her, and she whimpers. “I’m right here.”

 

He holds her close, whispering words of comfort in her ear and rubbing soothingly at her back as she cries.

 

He has no idea how long she cries, or how long he holds her.

 

He’d hold her forever if it would help; anything to ease her pain.

 

Suddenly, Felicity sits up in his arms

 

“What time is it?” she asks, tearing herself from his embrace. She turns to the TV just as an eager, overly chirpy voice says, “Only five minutes to midnight, people! Better get those drinks ready!”

 

“11:55,” he tells her, looking at the countdown clock in the corner.

 

“We better get that wine open,” Felicity suggests, and she stands from the couch without another word, sliding on a pair of slippers and hurrying off to the kitchen.

 

Oliver sighs as he follows her, grabbing the bottle of wine off the dining room table. He uses the corkscrew she hands him to open it while she plunks a pair of wine glasses down next to him. As he fills them up, she scurries away, and he wonders briefly where she’s going. He picks up one of the glasses and moves to hand it to her just as she returns with her coat in one hand and his in the other. He puts down the glass and takes his coat from her, staring at her with curiosity as he puts it on.

 

When they’re both bundled up, Felicity picks up the glasses and hands him one. He just barely manages to take it in his right hand before she grabs his left hand and pulls him out to the balcony.

 

He follows her without question.

 

Once they’re outside, she pulls him over to railing. She stands at his left side, clutching her wine glass in one hand and his left hand in her other. Oliver smiles, and he follows her gaze up to the stars.

 

“This is my favorite place in the whole loft,” she tells him quietly, staring up at the night sky, and he turns back to her and smiles, because he’s always known that, even if she’s never told him.

 

He hears the people at a party on the floor below them counting.

 

_19, 18, 17…._

 

She turns to him and smiles, squeezing his hand.

 

“Thank you for coming over, Oliver.”

 

He smiles back, squeezing her hand in return.

 

“I thought you could use a friend tonight.”

 

She nods, then rests her head on his shoulder.

 

_12, 11, 10…._

 

He leans into her, resting his cheek against the top of her head.

 

_9, 8, 7…._

 

“No place I’d rather be,” she whispers.

 

_6, 5, 4…._

 

“Me neither,” he whispers back.

 

_3, 2, 1, Happy New Year!_

 

She pulls away and turns toward him, holding up her glass.

 

“Happy New Year, Oliver.”

 

“Happy New Year, Felicity.”

 

They clink their glasses together and drink.

 

They stare out quietly into the night, eyes on the Star City skyline, still holding hands. Neither of them says a word for quite some time, and it’s okay.

 

It’s more than okay….

 

It’s the happiest Oliver’s been in a very long time.

 

A group of people wander out onto the street below and light fireworks, and the two of them watch in silence, sipping at their wine.

 

“Are you cold?” he asks, and she shakes her head.

 

Oliver nods. He holds her hand just a little bit tighter, and she does the same, moving in closer to rest her head on his shoulder once more.

 

“Any New Year’s resolutions?” Oliver asks quietly.

 

She stiffens next to him, just for a second, but then he squeezes her hand and she takes a deep breath.

 

“Just one: find Prometheus and make him pay for everything he’s done.”

 

“We will, Felicity. We will,” he assures her, moving as close to her as he can, and he can practically feel her heart beating beneath his own skin.

 

“What about you, Oliver?”

 

Oliver gazes down at the people below. A couple kisses, and everyone else groans, but the couple just kisses even harder. Then one guy says “oh fuck it,” and he kisses the girl he’s standing next to. Everyone cheers as she kisses him back, and someone says, “It’s about damn time!” Then a bunch of them huddle up for a giant group hug.

 

“I want to be a better friend,” Oliver says suddenly.

 

Felicity shifts slightly so she can look up at him.

 

“Oliver….”

 

He doesn’t tell her that he’s thinking about her as he says this, but then of course he doesn’t have to, because somehow she just knows.

 

“You _are_ a good friend,” she tells him.

 

“Really?” he asks her carefully, and he looks down at her, heart aching in his chest.

 

“Of course you are, Oliver. You’re my _best_ friend, actually.”

 

“Yeah?” he asks with a smile, and Felicity nods, resting her head against his shoulder yet again.

 

“Mmm hmm. No matter what happens between us, that won’t ever change. You’ll always be my best friend.”

 

“And you’ll always be mine,” Oliver assures her.

 

They both turn back to the sky, staring quietly at the stars, until….

 

“Don’t tell John,” they both say at the same time.

 

Oliver thinks he’ll never get tired of the sound of her laughter as she hugs him again, whispering a quiet “thank you” against his chest. And as Oliver holds Felicity tight and says “you never have to thank me,” he knows that there’s no place he’d rather be on the first day of this new year than right here by her side.

  
_...the end..._

**Author's Note:**

> Btw, Rene called Felicity “Blondie” two days into the new year, and after she punched him in the face so hard that he broke a tooth, he never called her “Blondie” ever again. I wanted to put that in the story but it didn’t really fit anywhere. Just assume it happened. ;)


End file.
